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Professor Carl Ehrlich asks whether the Exodus is more history or legend. 

Carl S. Ehrlich (Ph.D. Harvard ’91) is University Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel in the Departments of History and Humanities, and former Director of ths Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies at York University in Toronto. 

Among  his areas of interest are synchronic, diachronic, and contextual approaches to the biblical text and Israelite civilization. His recent publications include the (co-)edited collections From an Antique Land: An Introduction to Ancient Near Eastern Literature (2009) and Premodern Jewish Studies: A Handbook (2023). Current projects include a cultural history of Moses and a commentary on the book of Chronicles.

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Rabbi Daniel Nevins explores the legacies of Jacob and Joseph and shares an important overarching lesson from the book of Genesis. 

Rabbi Danny Nevins is dedicated to exploring the sacred realm of Torah and its intersection with contemporary ethics, culture, and technology. Ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Rabbi Nevins was named Head of School of Golda Och Academy in 2021, dedicating himself to support the faculty and students in the creation of an outstanding and warm Jewish learning environment. Previously, he worked at The Jewish Theological Seminary as the Pearl Resnick Dean of the Division of Religious Leadership. He writes responsa on topics of contemporary halakhah, essays, prayers, and Torah commentaries, many of which can be viewed on his website - rabbinevins.com. 

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Simon Eder explores the way in which again and again Joseph connects the dots.

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Professor Naomi Graetz discusses Asnath, the mysterious wife of Joseph.

Naomi Graetz taught English at Ben Gurion University of the Negev for 35 years. She is the author of Unlocking the Garden: A Feminist Jewish Look at the Bible, Midrash and God (Piscataway NJ: Gorgias Press, 2005), The Rabbi’s Wife Plays at Murder (Beersheva: Shiluv Press, 2004), S/He Created Them: Feminist Retellings of Biblical Stories (Professional Press, 1993; second edition Gorgias Press, 2003), and Silence is Deadly: Judaism Confronts Wifebeating (Jason Aronson, 1998).

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Abraham Joshua Heschel was perhaps the most influential figure in Jewish thought over the last century. Born in 1907, he grew up in Warsaw amongst Polish Hasidim and indeed was descended Rabbinic luminaries on both sides. He was though perhaps always happiest at the nexus between the sacred and the secular. Heschel studied philosophy and Biblical criticism in Berlin before becoming a pivotal figure in America, where he galvanized the Jewish and non-Jewish world alike on issues of social justice. His Judaism was at once profoundly rooted in tradition and simultaneously subversive of the status quo. His theological commitments  always undergirded his courageous, outspoken efforts on behalf of the Civil Rights Movement, his protests against the war in Vietnam, and his work to improve Jewish and Christian relations following the Shoah. His output was of course prolific with works such as The Sabbath, The Prophets and God in Search of Man.

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Rabbi Shimon Felix discusses some of the key themes that we encounter in the Joseph story and shares their relevance for today. 


Rabbi Shimon Felix is the Executive Director Emeritus of the program. He was born in New York, and has lived in Jerusalem since 1973. Rabbi Felix has been associated with The Bronfman Fellowship since 1991. He received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Hamivtar, where he served as educational director. Rabbi Felix has worked in a wide variety of educational programs including Michelelet Bruria, the Israeli school system and Yakar. He headed The Jewish Agency’s Bureau for Cultural Services to Communities and also served as assistant to Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. He is the Director of Re: IL Regarding Israel.

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Professor Naomi Graetz discusses the rape of Dinah in light of both favourable and negative views of welcoming outsiders into the tradition. 

Naomi Graetz taught English at Ben Gurion University of the Negev for 35 years. She is the author of Unlocking the Garden: A Feminist Jewish Look at the Bible, Midrash and God (Piscataway NJ: Gorgias Press, 2005), The Rabbi’s Wife Plays at Murder (Beersheva: Shiluv Press, 2004), S/He Created Them: Feminist Retellings of Biblical Stories (Professional Press, 1993; second edition Gorgias Press, 2003), and Silence is Deadly: Judaism Confronts Wifebeating (Jason Aronson, 1998). Her current areas of interest are: teaching Jewish Sources about trafficking and workshops teaching women to study and engage in writing Midrash. She writes a weekly blog at https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/naomi-graetz/. 

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Rabbi Samuel Klein discusses the parallels between Jacob's first encounter with Rachel and Marina Abromivic's performance at MOMA in 2010 entitled: ''The Artist is Present''.

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Rabbi Samuel Klein is Director of Jewish Engagement for the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. Samuel was Chief Jewish Officer of the Jewish Community Center San Francisco and Executive Director of the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre, Montreal. He holds Masters degrees in Theology from Cambridge University and History of Art from University College London and trained as a teaching artist at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

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Anthony Julius deconstructs the character of Abraham and hints at the unique challenge that he poses to our own Jewish identity today. 

Anthony Julius holds the chair in Law and Arts at UCL and is also the Deputy Chair of Mishcon de Reya. His publications include T. S. Eliot, Anti-Semitism and Literary Form and Trials of the Diaspora A History of Anti-Semitism in England. 

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